Because it was not currently open for business, the lanterns within Xuni Pavilion were dim, swaying gently in the night breeze, only a few remained lit to serve as general illumination.
From the upper floor of the pavilion came the faint sound of a Zither being played. Blended with the distant murmur of street noise, it seemed as though someone was practicing.
This was an entirely ordinary sight along the banks of Rouge River.
Song, dance, flute, and zither, these were all fundamental skills for any courtesan. If one did not practice diligently, there was no need to wait until one aged or lost one's charm, before long, clients would vanish on their own...
Wu Man moved with clear purpose and paid the sound little mind. She was only briefly surprised that the tune was unusually pleasant, clearly not the typical frivolous melodies.
But in these kinds of brothel pavilions, true artistic talent occasionally emerged. So she quickly dismissed it from her mind.
Upon entering the room, a single sweep of her gaze instantly told her something was wrong.
This was indeed the servants' quarters in Xuni Pavilion, one of the precise locations that AKan had listed for stashing the official silver.
There were ten chests of silver in total.
Two had already been recovered by the patrolling constables, and while she had retrieved four herself, the remaining three were hidden in places too dangerous to attempt.
She'd decided to abandon them.
This one was the final chest.
But, she sensed no trace of a restriction inside the room!
Her heart jumped. Realizing something was amiss, she turned to leave, only to hear a female voice suddenly speak behind her:
"It's late, honored guest. Why not retire to a private room? This servant's quarters are dirty and disorganized, hardly worth inspecting."
Wu Man spun around at once. Her vertical pupils blazed crimson, bursting with blood-colored light. For an instant, it was as though a giant serpent had opened its maw to bare twin white fangs.
The oppressive aura she radiated struck dread into the hearts of those who faced her.
But when she saw who was standing behind her, she froze.
It was a beautiful young woman in pale green, quietly observing her from the doorway. Her expression was calm. But, she had no cultivation whatsoever.
A mortal?!
Wu Man had been fully prepared to confront an elite hunter from the authorities. The sudden realization that it was just an ordinary mortal left her momentarily at a loss.
She cursed inwardly and forced herself to halt.
She clenched her fist, extinguishing the dark flame that had ignited in her palm. If she had attacked just now without restraining herself, she might have escaped notice, only to draw the authorities with the noise.
Upon closer inspection, Wu Man recognized the woman as none other than Liu Qingcheng, the famed courtesan of Xuni Pavilion.
Without doubt, another headache. Though Liu Qingcheng was a mortal, the influence behind Xuni Pavilion was not. And there was also the Prince of Jingnan.
Eliminating her was not an option.
That left negotiation, or suppression. Either way, it would be counted as a failure on her part.
But... why hadn't she sensed Liu Qingcheng's approach?
Wu Man's pupils contracted.
Someone was interfering with her divine sense!
Which meant, a cultivator was here. One whose cultivation was no lower than her own. Someone had long since discovered the silver in this room, and was now lying in wait!
Xuni Pavilion? Or someone else...?
She could no longer discern Liu Qingcheng's true intent and responded with sharp suspicion:
"That chest of official silver, where is it? Have the one behind you come out and speak."
At this moment, Liu Qingcheng's heart was pounding. The woman before her was clearly a demon, and not just any demon, but the one who had actually stolen the silver.
But she had come here precisely in search of demons. She would not shrink back now.
She recalled how Chen Kuang had asked her earlier, "How's your acting?"
At the time, she hadn't understood what he meant.
Only now did she realize, he had intended for her to play the messenger, to make direct contact with the silver thief.
Remembering Chen Kuang's instructions, Liu Qingcheng offered a faint smile and calmly said:
"The silver is where it belongs. As for the one behind me, he is not someone you're qualified to meet."
Although she was just a mortal, Liu Qingcheng had long grown accustomed to entertaining high officials and nobles. That constant exposure had imbued her with an air of dignified composure capable of bluffing even the bold.
Even she wasn't entirely sure of Chen Kuang's actual cultivation. But she assumed it must be extremely high.
And the way she spoke, quiet yet full of conviction, only reinforced the illusion of strength behind her.
Wu Man blinked, briefly stunned. Then she scoffed as though she'd heard the most ridiculous thing imaginable:
"In Zangfeng Prefecture, I wasn't aware there was anyone I wasn't 'qualified' to meet. Tell me, who is this exalted figure?"
"Could it be the Dao Sovereign of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect? Or one of the Grand Zen Masters of the Wugou Pure Land? What divine being would descend to this little Zangfeng Prefecture over a trivial silver theft?"
The Mysterious Divine Path Sect had six Dao Sovereigns. The Wugou Pure Land had three Grand Zen Masters. All were cultivators of the Upper Third Grade.
There was no possibility they'd show up here just because of some stolen silver.
Wu Man's words dripped with mockery, ridiculing Liu Qingcheng for thinking too highly of herself, pretending she was working for some great figure.
Wu Man herself was a Tower Ascension Second Stage cultivator. Though not top-tier, she was certainly no lesser figure. In any faction, that would make her core strength.
But Liu Qingcheng merely shook her head and said:
"None of them."
Wu Man's face darkened.
"If not them, then how dare you speak so brazenly? I don't care who sent you, hand over the silver. This isn't something you should be meddling in."
"If you hand it over now, I'll pretend none of this happened. But if you keep playing games, well, let's just say whether you ever walk out of Xuni Pavilion again will be another matter entirely."
Liu Qingcheng frowned.
This attitude was far more domineering and fearless than she'd expected. Not like a silver thief at all, but more like someone executing an official mission, completely confident.
She didn't even seem worried about being exposed...
A demon thief should've been terrified of exposure. But this woman, her every word implied that even Xuni Pavilion could be silenced.
There was only one possibility.
Liu Qingcheng, who had long dealt with the powerful and wealthy, was struck by a sudden realization.
Her voice trembled as she stared at Wu Man:
"You stole the silver... under orders from the authorities!"
Only with official backing would someone be unafraid of exposure or blackmail.
There would be someone to cover it all up!
"You want to die?!"
Wu Man hadn't expected a few words to pierce so close to the truth. Her expression twisted. A black flame erupted from her palm, and she lashed out toward Liu Qingcheng!
Liu Qingcheng instantly knew she had said too much. Her face went pale as she stumbled backward.
But as a quarter-blood half-demon with no cultivation, she had no way to dodge.
"Zheng-"
From the upper floors, the sound of the Zither suddenly shifted. Like icy wind and snow, a killing aura surged forth, like an arrow tearing through the night!
Goosebumps erupted across Wu Man's back as a chill raced up her spine, her temples throbbed wildly.
Danger!
Wu Man halted her movement, twisted her body, and raised her defenses, only to realize, moments later, that the "arrow" had been an illusion of the mind.
The room was empty..
But her divine sense, had been pierced.
By a blade.
"Sword of the Mind!"
"Ahhh!"
Agony exploded in Wu Man's mind like it had been ripped open. Her divine sense was sliced, her Spiritual Energy cut off, her blood roiling out of control!
This sword was not aimed at the body, but the soul.
Without a stabilized sea of consciousness, any Lower Third Grade cultivator would be defenseless before it.
Blood flowed from all seven orifices. Wu Man dropped to her knees, face contorted in pain, gasping:
"S-spare me... I serve under Head Constable Wang Yangbo... You... you can't kill me!"
Scales rippled across her skin, her body already on the verge of losing its human form.
...
Chen Kuang raised an eyebrow.
So this silver theft case was orchestrated by Wang Yangbo, the Department of Shennong's chief constable of Zangfeng Prefecture.
He hadn't intended to kill Wu Man. He'd wanted Liu Qingcheng to see firsthand what life among demons was really like.
With a thought, Chen Kuang withdrew the Sword of the Mind.
Then, drawing upon divine sense empowered by [Anonymous], he transmitted his voice directly into Wu Man's consciousness.
"White Dragon."
His voice resounded in her soul, calm, but carrying the weight of a great bell.
"Heh... You want to know who I am... But I've already forgotten my real name."
"Only that, eight hundred years ago, a friend once called me this-"
"You may call me... White Dragon True Sovereign."