Chapter 49: Zhou Jing'an's Spiritual Victory Method

The night was like ink, without stars or moon.

Tiandu City was shrouded in heavy rain, and the lights of ten thousand homes appeared somewhat dim and gloomy.

Chen Mo leaned against a wall, raindrops like threads falling along the eaves.

After that black sedan chair left, he leaped, stepping across the rooftops, following far behind Zhou Jing'an.

Although he was curious about the person in the sedan chair, his keen spiritual sense caught a hint of danger, so he did not act rashly, prioritizing the completion of the Empress's mission.

[This Palace has heard some rumors; the Zhou family may be privately mining ore outside the city. Go and investigate; it would be best if you could obtain evidence.]

The Great Yuan has very strict management of ore veins; whether it is common metal ore or rare spirit ore, it is jointly controlled by the Ministry of Works and the Metallurgy Department. Private mining is equivalent to the crime of treason.

If he could find any clues, it would definitely deal a heavy blow to the Zhou family!

And what happened today made Chen Mo sense something unusual; regardless of whether it was related to private mining, Zhou Jing'an was definitely plotting something.

Following all the way to the East City, Zhou Jing'an walked into a large three-courtyard mansion.

Chen Mo stood in the shadows at the corner of the alley, compressing his spiritual sense into a thin thread that crawled along the wall cracks and entered the Zhou residence.

Having had the experience from last time, he was extra cautious, ready to cut off his spiritual sense and run at any moment.

Fortunately, the defenses of the Zhou residence were far less tight than the Imperial Palace, and he did not alert any experts along the way.

Wandering deep into the mansion, dodging several powerful auras, he searched for a long time before finally hearing Zhou Jing'an's voice beside a bedroom window.

His spiritual sense drilled in through the window lattice, and the scene before him almost made him lose his composure.

He saw the bed shaking violently, and Zhou Jing'an was engaging in exercise with a woman dressed in black, whose style looked exactly like a Heavenly Kylin Guard.

"Kneel! I told you to kneel!"

"You dog, you dare to humiliate me just because you have a gold medallion?"

"You still want to write a memorial to implicate me? I'll let you write, I'll let you write... write then!"

Chen Mo: "..."

Spiritual victory method, is it? And playing roleplay, too...

Chen Mo never thought in his life that he would become the "heroine."

As Zhou Jing'an's breathing grew rapid and his attack speed increased, he really couldn't bear to watch and withdrew from the room.

He wandered around the Zhou residence, memorizing several places with unusual auras, then lay in wait in the darkness, waiting patiently.

Dong! — Dong! Dong!

Until the third watch gong sounded, there was still no movement in the Zhou residence.

The breathing in the bedroom was steady; Zhou Jing'an, having "taken his revenge," had already fallen into a deep sleep.

"It seems I won't find anything tonight."

"With the city on edge lately, he will become even more cautious."

"What I need to do now is keep an eye on him and wait for him to show his true colors..."

Chen Mo withdrew his spiritual sense, his figure leaping into the air, his toes lightly tapping the eaves as he flew away like a falcon.

Music Conservatory, Qingya Studio.

The wine room was full of guests, and dancing girls with graceful figures were dancing lightly.

A woman wearing a pale pink gauze dress sat on the stage, her slender fingers lightly stroking the strings, the clear sounds and lingering rhymes like high mountains and flowing water; the crowd listened, mesmerized.

After the song ended, they remained immersed in the lingering charm, unable to recover for a long time.

Clap, clap—

After a long while, applause broke out, gradually becoming enthusiastic.

"Good! What a song of Spring Courtyard Moon! It is truly moving, portraying a woman's boudoir grievances to the fullest!"

"It made my eyes moisten involuntarily."

"Miss Yu'er's zither skills have improved so much!"

"I'm afraid these zither skills are no less than Gu Manzhi's now, right?"

The guests sighed in admiration, and words of praise were endless.

Yu'er stood up, bowed gracefully, and turned to walk into the inner room.

The little maid following beside her frowned and said, "Can't you practice the zither properly? Having me control you every time is really tiring."

Yu'er said aggrievedly, "I'm slow-witted, I can't learn it~"

For her, dealing with daily social interactions was manageable, but something like playing the zither was too difficult.

"The consumption has been a bit high lately; my body is almost unable to hold on."

Yu'er extended her left hand, where a black line was faintly visible at the fingertip, "Counting the days, it's about time; surely the Master hasn't forgotten about us two?"

The little maid rolled her eyes at her, "Get this straight, I am your master! Your life was given by me!"

Yu'er pouted her little mouth and said, "But without the Master's vital essence, my body would have rotted away long ago..."

"..."

The little maid was furious.

She didn't know if it was the effect of the life essence, but this creature was becoming more and more rebellious; she had even learned to talk back now!

Pushing open the door and walking into the bedroom, the two of them froze in unison.

They saw the window wide open, and a man in black sitting at the table, pouring tea for himself.

"This tea isn't very good; the quality is too low..."

"Master!"

Yu'er's expression was full of surprise; she ran over, kicking off her embroidered shoes, and threw herself into Chen Mo's arms with her bare feet.

Chen Mo grabbed her arm and threw her out through the window.

Splash!

Outside was a pond, and Yu'er fell into it, getting soaked through.

"Wuwuwu, Master is so mean~"

Chen Mo frowned slightly, "How did she become like this?"

The little maid sat opposite him and shook her head, "This remnant soul's brain might not be quite right..."

As she spoke, a green light flashed across her brow, and her features blurred for a moment, revealing that stunningly beautiful face.

"Has the Prince had any movement lately?" Chen Mo asked.

Gu Manzhi nodded, "He sent someone over the day before yesterday to find Yu'er, telling her to work hard on cultivating the charm arts and to make sure she ties you down firmly."

Chen Mo asked curiously, "Charm arts?"

"I took a rough look; it's just the bedchamber arts of yin-yang union. It doesn't require a foundation in cultivation; ordinary people can practice it too." Gu Manzhi's expression was somewhat unnatural.

She had read that "technique" once; the various moves inside were extremely detailed—things like 'Goat Facing the Tree,' 'Vermilion Bird Playing in the Cave,' 'Singing Ape Embracing the Tree'...

It even came with illustrations; it was simply outrageous!

"What have you done lately? I feel the Prince values you even more now," Gu Manzhi said.

"Lately?"

Chen Mo's eyes flickered.

Could the matter of the demon race also be related to the Prince?

Thinking of that mysterious black sedan chair, he pondered silently in his heart.

"By the way, how many paper dolls can you control at most at the same time?" Chen Mo asked.

Gu Manzhi said, "If it's just basic information synchronization, it's about ten, but if you want precise control, two is already the limit."

Her eyes blinked, "Why, do you need my help?"

Chen Mo nodded, "I am secretly monitoring someone; I might not be able to handle it alone."

Gu Manzhi smiled and said, "Why should I help you? In the end, we are still enemies, aren't we?"

"Naturally, I won't let you help for nothing. It's a fair trade: you help me keep watch, and I can help you get the 'Green Underworld Seal' back," Chen Mo said.

Hearing this, Gu Manzhi stood up abruptly, her almond eyes wide open, the curves of her chest heaving.

"The Green Underworld Seal?!"