Chapter 179: The Apostle Who Married the Luohua Woman

Jia Simou was rescued by someone.

When Ma Yunfeng arrived, he told Chu Danqing this bad news.

Chu Danqing remained calm; this was only to be expected.

Unless Chu Danqing guarded Jia Simou himself, it was unrealistic to expect the Ma household's personnel to stop that Apostle from seizing him.

But Chu Danqing had no interest in guarding Jia Simou—abandoning an A-rank mission and the required trial items for such an insignificant native?

Since Jia Simou was placed under house arrest this morning, he had already lost all advantage.

The most likely scenario was that he would flee the city to join the Black Flag Army.

Bring in a large army, then use force to reshape the power structure.

Hearing this, Chu Danqing asked: "So is it fine to kill him now?"

He couldn't be killed before, naturally, because Ma Yunfeng hadn't fully taken control of Lin Yuan City—Jia Simou's death would cause unrest.

Killing him is easy; what then?

If it were merely for revenge, it wouldn't matter, but Chu Danqing still had to consider the stability of Lin Yuan's civilians.

"Of course it's fine," Ma Yunfeng smiled. "But wouldn't it be too much trouble for you, Young Master Chu?"

Chu Danqing rolled his eyes. "You told me all this just so I'd handle it."

"Wait—did you deliberately let Jia Simou escape?" Chu Danqing realized.

Otherwise, there was no reasonable way to eliminate Jia Simou.

If Jia Simou was rescued and then died mysteriously outside the city, the case falling to Ma Yunfeng would be easily buried.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Young Master Chu?" Ma Yunfeng smiled sweetly, then whispered: "Come to my mansion after to collect your reward."

He could never admit it—but he'd pay Chu Danqing for the favor.

Hearing this, Chu Danqing understood: Ma Yunfeng truly was a Chancellor.

His actions were grand and upright, but that didn't mean he was indecisive—he knew when to strike.

His thinking aligned perfectly with Chu Danqing's.

Including himself, there were only six Dimensional Apostles—Xue Ying was killed by Qing Jian; the rest were his doing.

That was likely why the Provincial Governor's Apostle felt threatened.

Moreover, Jia Simou was imprisoned because of Chu Danqing, creating a direct conflict of interest.

If so, to prevent him from causing trouble, Chu Danqing decided to kill him too.

Actually, Chu Danqing had started this—he was the one who sent the Ghost Wail Infant to deliver the Provincial Governor's head as a threat.

At that time, he had already made an enemy, though the conflict was still minor.

As Ma Yunfeng gradually seized control of Lin Yuan City, it became irreconcilable.

"Deal," Chu Danqing whispered back, then asked: "Where is he? I'll go kill him."

To act, he first had to find the man.

Otherwise, how could he kill him?

When the Apostle rescued Jia Simou, Chu Danqing was still rampaging inside the Zhuque Tower.

Ma Yunfeng gestured, and a servant brought forward a small wooden box.

"Just follow it—it will lead you to Provincial Governor Jia," Ma Yunfeng said, opening the box.

Inside lay a thumb-sized flying insect, resembling a firefly, its tail glowing faintly.

It seemed asleep; as Chu Danqing reached to take it, a status panel appeared.

An excellent-tier consumable item, usable with another excellent-tier consumable to track by scent.

"Good," Chu Danqing said, taking the box immediately.

He rode the war chariot straight to the Ma mansion, then, upon arrival, gently prodded the insect known as Hongxiu Xiang.

The insect stirred awake, its wings fluttering weakly as it rose into the air.

It was a male; Jia Simou carried the scent of the matching female, so it instinctively pursued.

Hongxiu Xiang insects were monogamous—after mating, they locked onto each other's scent.

And this scent was undetectable to ordinary people—Da Bao certainly hadn't smelled it.

Thus, the female was turned into odorless, colorless incense; as long as time hadn't passed too long, the scent lingered wherever she walked.

The male tracked the target through this scent, which was why Chu Danqing had to return to the Ma mansion—to let the male smell the scent before tracking.

"Give it a boost," Chu Danqing muttered, watching the insect's sluggish flight with resignation.

After all, it was just an insect—its flight speed couldn't match the war chariot.

The Son of Heaven dared not grant it too strong a boost, only partial acceleration.

Buffs and healing weren't better when stronger—they needed to be appropriate.

Giving an ant the strength of an elephant wouldn't make it stronger; more likely, it would burst from the sudden surge.

The insect's speed surged dramatically—still slower than the chariot, but far faster than before.

It flew straight toward the city gate and exited the city.

As Chu Danqing had predicted, the direction was toward Chongwei Valley.

Jia Simou wanted to seek Zhao Tiechuan—his only chance to turn the tide.

After all, they both served the Empress Dowager, on the same side.

Once the army entered the city, all problems would vanish.

Since it was his second trip, the charioteer and armored driver navigated with ease.

"Spring breeze brushes the sleeve—I meet you again tonight~"

A mournful female voice pierced the silent night; the Golden Light of the Son of Heaven, the Yin Qi of the Ghost Wail Mother, and the Elemental Magic of Yue Lan Wuying erupted simultaneously.

The three forces, perfectly coordinated, formed a protective barrier.

Chu Danqing's expression changed sharply.

He could never forget that voice—the daughter of the mysterious Cave God of Luohua Cave, the monster known as Luohua Woman.

To be honest, Chu Danqing hadn't expected to meet her here.

This trial world was not the same as the one he underwent for his reserve officer evaluation.

The main reason was that this trial world was too low-tier.

Back then, during the reserve officer evaluation, the world had dragons and gods—he hadn't even seen the Cave God's true face.

Just Luohua Woman had nearly broken him.

Under the moonlight, he saw the Apostle nearby, dressed casually; behind him stood Luohua Woman, clad in a red bridal gown.

"Ex-husband," the Apostle introduced himself with a smirk. "Second meeting, and it's already kill or be killed. What a pity. You can call me Luohua Jun."

His tone was mocking, yet his body twisted grotesquely.

Oil seeped from his skin, sagging downward.

"Congratulations on acquiring such a virtuous wife."

"But I'm no kindred spirit to you—I don't deserve the title 'ex-husband.'"

"When I first saw this Luohua Woman, I cursed my parents for not giving me two extra legs to run faster," Chu Danqing admitted.

He was grateful he hadn't accepted the hidden quest back then—it would have turned him into something neither human nor monster, reversing his priorities entirely.

On Luohua Woman's slender fingers, translucent, oily threads glimmered, sinking into Luohua Jun's body, controlling every movement.

From start to finish, Luohua Jun was merely Luohua Woman's puppet.

"Be careful—his body holds a far more terrifying consciousness slumbering within," the Ghost Wail Mother said gravely.

Chu Danqing swallowed hard—he must have brought the Cave God's consciousness here.

The Ghost Wail Mother, being a ghostly entity, was more sensitive to such things.

Indeed, no free lunch—this wasn't just a puppet, but likely a vessel for the Cave God.

At reserve officer level, how could one stand against a Cave God? In the end, one is merely meat on the chopping block.

He probably thought himself superior during the reserve officer evaluation, tried to grab something extra, and ended up like this.

After the Ghost Wail Mother spoke, Yue Lan Wuying struck first, driving her totem pole into the ground and lunging forward with a full-power punch.

Elemental spirits swirled around her as she unleashed her strongest attack.

From Luohua Woman's sleeves emerged countless tentacles; thick oil spread, blocking Yue Lan Wuying's full-force strike.

After entering the Paradise with Luohua Jun, how could Luohua Woman remain stagnant?

With such a grand stage, her power had advanced by leaps and bounds.

It wasn't unusual—Chu Danqing had gained allies and summons far beyond reserve officer level; why couldn't she?

There was no rule that only he could succeed while others couldn't.

Chu Danqing wasn't some absurd human—he was merely a standard human.

After Yue Lan Wuying was blocked, the Son of Heaven and the Ghost Wail Mother moved, bringing the Yellow Turban Lishi and the Ghost Wail Infant into the fray.

Then Chu Danqing glanced at the charioteer and Da Bao.

The charioteer immediately understood—he snapped the reins, and the blood-bred war horses veered off to the side; Da Bao followed close behind.

Chu Danqing's plan was simple: stay away from the battlefield, go capture Jia Simou first.

Luohua Woman sensed his intent and moved instantly to block him.

But the Son of Heaven, the Ghost Wail Mother, and Yue Lan Wuying weren't idle—they, with the Yellow Turban Lishi and Ghost Wail Infant, crushed Luohua Woman's attempt in an instant.

Chu Danqing glanced back, wondering whether he should call Guo Ming.

Logically, he should summon Guo Ming—but the slumbering Cave God consciousness inside Luohua Jun filled him with dread.

If even Guo Ming isn't a match, they'll have to flee again—and might lose Guo Ming along the way.

Guo Ming isn't a summoned entity; if he dies, he's truly dead.

It's not just losing a hidden card, but also missing a vital resource channel.

So he shifted his target: first kill Jia Simou, then find a suitable place to seize the high ground and strike.

As for the deaths of the Son of Heaven and other summoned entities? Irrelevant—at worst, they lose a bit of equipment durability.

He can simply summon them again using mana; the loss is virtually negligible.

As he brushed past Luo Hua Nü, Da Bao grew restless—he had long wanted to devour Luo Hua Nü.

There was no chance before; now there is.

(End of Chapter)