Chu Liang looked at the suddenly gentle Young Marquis and could only sigh in his heart. Although the effect of the Curse Removal Spell was a bit tricky, it was indeed useful.

However, the effect of this spell only lasted for a period of time. Young Marquis would probably recover his senses after tonight and might hold a grudge against him. But what’s done is done, he couldn’t do anything to himself.

In order to cover up his secret, he could only inconvenience Young Marquis.

Xue Lingxue looked at Young Marquis, who was silently taking the blame, and remained silent. As a musician, she naturally knew that this Tan Yuan ancient Chinese zither couldn’t be fake. When the strings broke, she felt a great pain in her heart.

But the reason for the broken strings ultimately stemmed from her own curiosity about Chu Liang. It seemed to have caused a slight disturbance in Chu Liang’s body, resulting in this tragedy.

Through her probing just now, she learned that Chu Liang’s cultivation level was not high, but there seemed to be something hidden inside him, which might be the reason why he could release such a powerful sword technique.

Having some secrets in the cultivation world was not uncommon, including Xue Lingxue herself having some secrets. It was already audacious of her to accidentally discover Chu Liang’s secret, and it would be too much if she were to reveal it publicly.

So she could only remain silent and let everyone speculate about the situation, ultimately leading to a disadvantageous direction for Young Marquis.

In order to protect Chu Liang, she could only inconvenience Young Marquis.

And so, Young Marquis took his seat again.

And then he felt very aggrieved.

After all, he had given away a perfectly fine ancient Chinese zither, and now everyone’s gaze towards him was like that of a swindler. He must be feeling very unhappy. But he couldn’t get angry, and all his emotions turned into a feeling of being wronged.

Xue Lingxue injured her finger, then bowed to the guests, and left the stage to tend to her wound. In reality, this level of injury meant nothing to cultivators. Even if left untreated, it would heal on its own after a while.

It was just an excuse to leave the stage.

Everyone knew that the disciples of Nan Yin Fang, although they were here to entertain the guests, were not like ordinary musicians or actors who would go around toasting and socializing, especially when they encountered someone of higher status…

After the performance, even if she didn’t get injured, she would at most have a simple meal and then find an excuse to leave.

It was only after Xue Lingxue left that the banquet seemed to truly begin. The distinguished guests of Nan Guan City started mingling and toasting each other.

Chu Liang looked at Lin Bei, who was mingling with the core circle of Nan Guan City, and helplessly pulled him aside.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Bei smiled, “There are still socializing opportunities over there, my friend.”

“…Don’t forget why we’re here.” Chu Liang whispered, “You have a chance to ask Young Marquis about Miss Xia’s sister.”

“Why don’t you go ask?” Lin Bei was puzzled.

“I can’t.” Chu Liang shook his head and looked at Young Marquis walking out of the hall, “He might hold a grudge against me for the performance just now.”

“But he was calm and peaceful when he talked to you just now, right? I think Young Marquis has a good temper,” Lin Bei said.

“A good temper doesn’t mean it will always be good…” Chu Liang couldn’t be sure about the exact duration of the Curse Removal Spell, so it was better not to take the risk.

“Alright, then I’ll go find out.” Lin Bei waved his hand and followed Xia An’s figure as he walked out.

…

Young Marquis Xia An walked out of the banquet hall, followed closely by the black-clothed Lu Shi, who never left his side.

Outside the hall, a servant from the Marquis’s Mansion hurriedly approached Xia An and said, “Young Marquis, something happened in the cabin!”

“What happened?” Xia An asked.

“The woman you had Lu Shi deliver yesterday, she escaped!” the servant said in a low voice.

“Escaped?” Young Marquis frowned, “A weak woman managed to escape from the heavily guarded cabin?”

“She’s not just a weak woman, she… she’s a monster!” the servant hurriedly said, “She rescued a group of women from the cabin. Thanks to our numerous guards, we managed to capture those women back. But we haven’t caught the female monster yet. A team of warriors is currently chasing her along the Qin Nan River.”

“The incident in the cabin must not be leaked. We must capture her and make sure she’s seen alive or dead!” Young Marquis gritted his teeth.

“Yes…” The servant could only nod.

Young Marquis turned around and said, “I still have to talk to the people from the East Whale Gang later. Lu Shi, you go back. I don’t trust anyone else to handle this.”

“Yes.”

Lu Shi didn’t waste any words and disappeared into the night.

After he left, Young Marquis continued walking and arrived at a pavilion hidden among the trees in a courtyard. He sat down in the pavilion.

After a moment, a burly man walked into the courtyard. It was none other than Xue Hu, the representative of the East Whale Gang whom Young Marquis had met a few days ago.

He had also infiltrated this banquet, taking advantage of this opportunity to meet. The East Whale Gang was in a precarious situation, and it was better to avoid frequent private meetings that would arouse suspicion.

“Young Marquis,” Xue Hu approached and bowed.

Their previous meeting was not pleasant. The matter was not settled, and Xia An left in a huff, leaving Xue Hu alone. But at least he didn’t flip the table, and this time Xue Hu could still maintain his politeness when they met again.

“Xue Hu, I hope you’ve been well,” Young Marquis greeted with a smile and asked, “How did Master Cheng consider the matter I mentioned last time?”

“I relayed Young Marquis’s words verbatim to Master Cheng. His opinion is that even if the business is booming, we should temporarily suspend it for one or two months after this shipment. We can discuss it later. Xu Ba Mountain’s daughter is investigating our East Whale Gang these days, and the situation is tense. We must not give her any handle,” Xue Hu replied.

“If it’s a short-term suspension, we naturally have no objections,” Young Marquis nodded in agreement, “Anyway, it will take some time to prepare the goods. We can just accumulate more.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Young Marquis,” Xue Hu said, then asked, “When should we schedule the next shipment?”

“Let’s do it on the night of Xue Lingxue’s performance,” Young Marquis said, “All eyes in the city will be on this mansion at that time, and our boats on the river will be the most concealed.”

“That’s perfect,” Xue Hu nodded, no longer engaging in small talk, and turned to leave.

Suddenly, he sensed a slight movement among the trees. His gaze instantly sharpened, killing intent surged, and he shouted, “Who?”

Swoosh—

Almost as soon as his voice fell, a figure had already leaped over like a cheetah, arriving in an instant.

As a core member of the East Whale Gang, he was also a seasoned martial arts expert who had experienced countless battles. When his killing intent erupted, the surrounding vegetation became deadly.

Then, he saw a drunken young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, holding up his pants, looking terrified.

The young man shook his head, sobered up for a moment, and shouted at Xue Hu, “What’s the matter? Haven’t you seen someone peeing before?!”