Chapter 228: The Headstrong and Willful Long Yujie

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: The Headstrong and Willful Long Yujie

Throughout the meal, Chu Fan put on a one-man show. Leng Yingxue simply sat to the side, holding the White Fox and watching.

Even with a table laden with food, for a cultivator of the Divine Separation Realm, chewing was the only time-consuming part. Once ingested, the food would quickly be converted into energy and absorbed.

As he wolfed down his food, the other patrons in the restaurant, whether standing or sitting, were frozen in place. None dared to move, much less look in his direction.

They feared that a single glance could get them killed.

No one dared pay any attention to the dozen or so dead bodies, nor to the four men Chu Fan had slapped back down into their seats.

The bearded man whose eyes Chu Fan had blinded with chopsticks was trembling with fear, not even daring to cry out in pain as blood streamed from his eyes.

Finally, just as the crowd was about to reach its breaking point, Chu Fan put down his chopsticks and stood up.

"Shopkeeper, the bill!"

"Sir, please, don’t worry about it. Consider it on the house."

Chu Fan didn’t waste any words on him. He tossed two ingots of silver onto the table and said to Leng Yingxue, "Shall we go?"

Leng Yingxue rose to her feet and followed closely behind him.

The moment they left, everyone in the restaurant let out a collective sigh of relief. The less resilient ones collapsed limply to the floor.

"Should we look around a bit more? Or find an inn and settle in for now?"

"You decide," Leng Yingxue said coolly.

"Then let’s find an inn," Chu Fan said decisively.

He was worried that if they kept walking around, more people in the city would come to harm.

’Does this woman have no self-awareness about her looks? She becomes the center of attention just by walking down the street.’

Her title as number one on the Hundred Flowers List wasn’t just for show.

In all his life, Chu Fan had never seen anyone more beautiful than her, with the sole exception of Yun Xi.

Aside from her icy personality, her face and figure were nearly perfect.

But an icy, aloof beauty is a kind of charm in itself, is it not?

In a way, with the aura that came with her Saint Realm cultivation, her overall beauty and presence would probably surpass even Yun Xi’s if she removed her veil.

Yun Xi was more approachable by comparison—a peerless beauty of the mortal world.

Leng Yingxue, however, was more like a fairy from a painting—proud, aloof, and ethereal.

They hadn’t walked far before an inn with an imposing gateway caught Chu Fan’s eye.

Chu Fan led the way inside.

"Sir, will you be staying the night or just stopping for a rest?" an attendant asked as he approached.

"Two of your best rooms. We’re only staying one night. A private courtyard would be even better, if you have one. Money is no object; comfort is what matters."

"As it happens, we have a small, private courtyard available in the back," the attendant said with a smile, leading Chu Fan and Leng Yingxue toward the rear of the inn.

The inn was quite large, with a spacious rear courtyard. It featured seven or eight small courtyard houses, as well as several larger pavilions that likely contained dozens of guest rooms each.

The backyard also had a large garden where guests gathered in small groups to play chess or chat.

As Chu Fan and Leng Yingxue walked past, they naturally drew many stares.

Some eyes were on Chu Fan, some were drawn to Leng Yingxue’s figure, and others were fixed on the White Fox in her arms.

But no one tried to start any trouble as they passed.

The attendant led them to a small courtyard at the northernmost edge of the property.

Though the courtyard was small, it had all the essentials: a receiving room, a study, and a bedroom. There was, however, only one bedroom.

The furnishings were quite luxurious.

"Sir, this is the courtyard. If you need anything at all, our staff is posted just outside. You only need to call out."

"Thank you," Chu Fan nodded.

"My pleasure, sir." The attendant backed out of the courtyard, though not without sneaking another glance at Leng Yingxue before he left.

Leng Yingxue crouched down to place the White Fox on the ground, then walked straight into the bedroom.

"I need to meditate on the Saint Realm. Do not disturb me, no matter what happens."

With those words, the bedroom door swung shut on its own.

Just then, the White Fox kicked off with its hind legs and leaped into Chu Fan’s arms.

"Brother, that woman is so scary!"

Chu Fan rubbed its head. "You’re quite a handful yourself, you little rascal."

"Brother, I’m hungry."

"Hungry? Why didn’t you say something back at the restaurant?"

"None of that food looked good."

"Then what do you want to eat?"

"I’ll be full as long as you sit down and cultivate, Brother."

Hmm? Chu Fan found the White Fox’s answer very strange. ’It gets full just from me sitting here cultivating? What is it eating?’

’No wonder I haven’t seen it eat these past few days!’

Chu Fan didn’t press the issue. He immediately sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

He wasn’t actually performing his Cultivation, though. After all, the Miaolian Celestial Stabilization Technique didn’t require him to consciously guide his True Qi through a Circulation to cultivate.

Out of habit, he liked to summarize events and then analyze them.

The day’s events seemed straightforward, but they still needed to be properly sorted out.

’The Imperial Grandson is suffering from a severe illness that even the Hundred Flowers Wanderer can’t cure, and it requires the White Fox’s blood as a medicinal catalyst.’

’If that’s the case, then how does the Crown Prince have the leisure to be touring the empire?’

’It’s said that the Emperor’s family is the most ruthless, but to quell public gossip, shouldn’t the Crown Prince at least put on a show of concern? He seems completely indifferent.’

’Then there’s Princess Huaining. Since she knew the White Fox’s location, shouldn’t she have sent her own people to track me and the fox down?’

’Why would she publicize the fact that I have the White Fox, turning me into a public target?’

’I refuse to believe that Princess Huaining is that selfless.’

’Furthermore, by making it public, not only does she fail to maximize her own benefit, but her reputation also takes a hit.’

’After all, I escaped the encirclement of her men with the White Fox. If she lacks the confidence to get her revenge and retrieve the White Fox with her own power, she would have to publicize the information, using those who seek to curry favor with the powerful to deal with me.’

’Isn’t that just a display of incompetence?’

’Upon further reflection, I think it’s highly unlikely that Princess Huaining was the one who made this information public.’

’So who could it be?’

’The Crown Prince?’

’Because I refused his attempt to recruit me?’

’That seems unlikely. In the Crown Prince’s eyes, I’m a nobody. If he really wanted to deal with me, he could crush me with ease.’

’Perhaps I’ll have an answer tonight, or by tomorrow morning at the latest.’

At that very moment, in Prince Huai’s Mansion in the Huai State Capital City, Princess Huaining received a report from her subordinates: Chu Fan, who had been missing for over half a month, had finally appeared.

She immediately summoned the four Divine Separation Realm personal Guards her father, Prince Huai, had assigned to her. She then dispatched Guards from the Prince’s Mansion to notify the Noble Families in the Huai and Yong States who were aligned with Prince Huai’s Mansion.

She paid special attention to the Song and Qiao Families, who had suffered at Chu Fan’s hands, as well as the families of the two young masters, Ju and Liang, whom Chu Fan had killed.

She ordered them to bring their Tributors with the highest Cultivation and rush to Shanyin County before dawn.

"Commandery Princess, we still don’t know who spread the information about Chu Fan. If we just charge in like this, what if we fall into a trap set by whoever is behind all this..." one of the Tributors said hesitantly.

But before he could finish, Princess Huaining, Long Yujie, cut him off.

"While Shanyin County isn’t under the jurisdiction of my Prince Huai’s Mansion, it doesn’t fall under any other mansion’s control either. With our numbers, what does it matter if someone is plotting against us? Brute force trumps any strategy. In the face of absolute power, the grandest of schemes are worthless. Besides, our target is that Spirit Fox. The moment we have it, we retreat."